Pederobba – Folgaria
Mountain Passes: Passo Vezzena, Passo del Sommo
Level: 4/5
Day four continues with unexpected changes of scenery. And also in terms of sport - or rather the route - this stage does not fit into the standard cliché of a Transalp stage - with long pass climbs on one side and long descents on the other. For the first 50 kilometres, no mountain initially gets in the way when the route - clockwise around Monte Grappa - just plays with a few hills on its flanks. Even when the shadow of Monte Grappa no longer falls on the route, it is still rather flat until the Brenta river is crossed in Primolano. Only now does the big climb of this stage begin, from the valley up to the plateau of the Sette Communi, the seven communes, with their main town Asiago. Now you stay at the top. The participants will not return to the valley until the next day. From Asiago, the road winds its way to Passo Vezzena, the highest point of this stage. This already belongs to the adjacent Alpe Cimbra with the main towns of Luserna, Lavarone and Folgaria at the western end of this huge plateau. Over a length of more than 70 kilometres, the route measures the highlands in its east-west extension and again the eyes get to see something completely different from the days before. Here, fields and meadows and forests alternating with alpine pastures dominate the landscape. This world is not as exciting as the Dolomites, it is a vast, silent land. But that is precisely why it is so appealing. Cyclists find roads for cruising, it just rolls along. It's wonderful. So you can't expect big power peaks in the watt-measuring pedal. However, the length of the stage, with its constant ups and downs, should not be underestimated.
